1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to equipment for washing vehicles and other large equipment and more specifically to a portable, self-contained wash system employing a retractable flooring system for collection of contaminated water, the contaminated water then being recycled and reused, if possible, or stored for later appropriate disposal.
2. The Background Art
A variety of equipment for washing automobiles and other equipment is well known in the art. Automatic or manual car wash bays can be found in most communities. Automatic car wash equipment often employ rotating brushes, moving cloth strips, or brushless technology.
The rotating brushes and moving cloth strips contact the surface to be cleaned and provide a scrubbing action. Brushless technology attempts to provide the same effect with fast moving high pressure streams.
A variety of manual car washing equipment is also well known. Commonly, application of soap or other cleaning agent is accomplished through use of an application wand, brush, or sponge. Similarly, rinsing may involve the use of various equipment one example being a high pressure hose equipped with a spray nozzle.
Both automatic and manual wash equipment typically involve the use of a service bay in which the cleaning action takes place. Typical arrangements of automatic wash service bays include a bay in which the vehicle is parked and the wash equipment moves around the vehicle and a bay which the vehicle moves through various stages of the wash cycle, the wash equipment being substantially stationary.
Manual wash bays are typically only of the first type. A vehicle is pulled into the bay and manually washed by a user. In this type of bay, the wash equipment is usually at least somewhat mobile in that it is capable of being repositioned to a desired location by a user in order to accomplish the desired cleaning effect. The wash equipment may be moveable along a track within the bay, deployed via a reel which allows for deployment and retraction of a hose through which cleaning and rinse solution may be pumped, or may be repositioned by other means.
Typically the service bays utilized for both automatic and manual vehicle wash stations are permanently installed in a given location. Such service bays are often constructed in a convenient location or in connection with a fuel station.
Stations which are portable to varying degrees are also known. These stations are designed for relative ease of construction and tear down and utilize a open beam or lattice construction. The components of such a service bay are transported to a site where the service bay is then erected. Although such an installation is typically intended to be at least semi-permanent, the service bay may be torn down and reconstructed on another site.
One type of flooring system sometimes utilized in portable wash stations involves the use of a vinyl sheet. The sheet is unrolled or otherwise spread on the ground or pad where washing is to take place. The vehicle to be washed is moved onto the vinyl sheet for cleaning and washing. The vinyl sheet provides an relatively inexpensive floor which can be erected and disassembled quickly.
Vinyl sheeting is also relatively easily cleaned. By employing a vinyl flooring, cross contamination between consecutive vehicles cleaned can be substantially reduced or eliminated. This may be of particular importance where the vehicles being cleaned have been exposed to potentially hazardous or toxic waste and cross contamination is highly undesirable.
Unfortunately, such vinyl sheeting floors also have a number of drawbacks. Among these are the relative fragility of such sheets. Vinyl sheets may tear, wear through, or otherwise become damaged, particularly if the vehicles being cleaned are heavy equipment or tracked vehicles. The cleaning of heavy equipment on a vinyl sheet may necessitate the use of an expensive heavy duty sheet, the frequent replacement of sheets, or both.
Such vehicle cleaning systems have also been known to incorporate recycling systems. Particularly in climates where water is a scarce commodity, recycling of wash water may help to minimize the amount of water required while maximizing the number of vehicles which can be washed.
Such systems typically involve the recapture of a substantial amount of the wash water used. This contaminated water is then recycled for use in further washing or for use in rinsing. Recycling may involve a variety of steps.
A typical recycling system might first separate grease and oil from the contaminated water. Grease and oil are commonly found in the contaminated water since they are products used by vehicles to operate. After removal of the grease and oil the contaminated water might be routed through a number of filters designed to remove sediment. A separation system designed to remove solid particles not removed by the filtering system might also be employed.
Unfortunately, these systems are typically geared toward water conservation only. Although water conservation is an important issue, other issues are arising with regard to the removal of contaminates from equipment involved in cleaning up or working in areas containing toxic waste or other environmental hazards.
In such instances, it is imperative to clean as much of the contaminates from the equipment involved as possible before the equipment is placed back in service in a non-environmentally hazardous environment. Containing the contaminates washed from the equipment for proper disposal is also a critical issue. These issues are not adequately addressed by currently available systems which were not designed with such needs in mind.
It would therefore be an advancement in the art to provide a portable equipment wash station which requires minimal set up, is capable of being self contained, incorporates a mechanism allowing for transportation, and which can contain contaminates removed from equipment during the cleaning process for later disposal.